The model T is one of the more affordable classic cars. Despite it's age parts are readily available - it's biggest attraction is the camaraderie you'll share with like-minded people and the opportunity to drive and socialize. Model T owners enjoy driving their cars more than parking them at car shows and there are more tours available each year than you could ever hope to attend.

Some people hire all the work done on their cars but it is hard to totally avoid it. There are little things that an owner needs to do (checking levels, greasing, adjusting bands, etc.) Model T's are simple cars and probably one of the best cars for a would-be mechanic to learn on. Read the forum, join a club and get to know other T owners near you. We all help and learn from each other. On the recent Michigan Jamboree Tour, I found the easiest way to attract a crowd and meet new people was to open up my hood In my experience, Model T people are some of the finest folks you could ever hope to meet!

Where in Michigan are you located? I'm in the Thumb but there are a number of clubs in the state - I should note that although this is a MTFCA forum the clubs in Michigan are all affiliated with the Model T Ford Club International (Piquette belongs to both.) Don't let that bother you.... we all get along and many of us belong to both organizations.

My suggestion is to meet up with some Model T folk near you (this forum will smoke them out!) and just see if the T 'gels' with you. The T is either loved or not it seems.

Next, yes, some mechanical ability is pretty much necessary, but how much depends on the car, your friends and other T club members near you. It is fair to say that there are T owners here with the skill range from 'master wizard mechanic' to 'not being sure which end of a wrench fits on the bolt'.

If a Shelby Mustang is the goal, then you may find the T is a little more modest in the HP ratings….

I just put a Torpedo back on the road after 40 years as a static display in a now-closed museum. That car was for a fellow who had never driven a T, much less know how to crank start it. It can be done, but he was an old car guy who simply became a fanatic to own one.

That is a very tough way to enter the hobby, but by all reports he is doing fine.

My father entered the hobby by purchasing a T out of a store front display. It sounds like you and he are of the same aptitude. He survived it and went on to enjoy Model Ts for the last 49 years and counting. He had to rely on mechanics of varying knowledge and ability for years, and is now in a small enclave of T-ers in his old age, who look out for him and keep him motoring along

All this typing to tell you it can be done, though it is much easier to gain valuable experience for FREE, if you find and pal around with 1 or more T owners and get a feel for them. They are slow (the cars, not the owners!), don't stop well and are unlike anything you have ever experienced in your life. I think it's a HOOT, but it is not for everyone.

I migrated from English sports cars to T's, but only after I had decided that my life needed to slow down. If muscle cars and big horsepower are still a real thrill, this might NOT be for you...so that's the other side of the story.

I have an acquaintance who owns a Model T and Model A and a Lincoln Zephyr.

I only mentioned the Shelby as a point of emphasis because I have a friend who also owns one of the top 3 Shelby's in the Southeast, if not the nation. That's a big bucks part of the hobby with a lot of trailering to go anywhere. I'm not a fan of trailering. I'm a fan of driving.

I can do basic things, but the Model T is a whole other level. If I lived closer to family it would be a no brainer. They are all very mechanical and hands on.

I grew up on a farm, but got away from it after college. I didn't have the bug for it.

I should check out more Model T events for sure.

I like Greenfield Village and the Piquette Plant Museum.

Last edited by thebbqguy on Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"Understanding wife." Funny thing... my wife has tolerated all my other adventures but she actually likes the T and the activities that swirl around it. We've been married 47 years and in all that time she's never taken any interest in things mechanical. Lo and behold, the other day she came home with a can of paste wax and commenced waxing the T. She has never done anything like that....never. She also wants to learn to drive it... go figure.

The Casual T's are a very active club in SE Michigan but there are others within a reasonable distance of Ann Arbor. You mention that you don't like to trailer but the slow speed of a Model T makes a trailer a necessity if you want to participate in tours that are some distance away.

FWIW - I too am new to the hobby, purchasing my T in August of 2018 and getting it running for the first time on August 3rd of this year after a lengthy restoration. I went into T ownership knowing very little but now have acquired a substantial sum of knowledge and feel confident performing a variety of maintenance and repair tasks. If you're willing to learn you should be OK.

After getting behind the wheel of a model T and getting comfortable with it, you will be ready to give up on the Shelby thing, maybe even throw rocks at it. The T is the most fun for the buck you can have with an old car. People drive them now for the same reason they did when they were new. They are reliable, easy to keep running, a ball to drive, and cheaper than anything else available.